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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Composting Head - A viable option

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Martin Nelick
Deckhand

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USA
13 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/29/2014 : 11:17:52

I have used marine heads in the past, and generally they are an excellent option for most boaters. My 87 just came with a Porta Potti (those are a lot of fun) so it was obviously not going to work for long-term cruising.

These were my concerns:

1. I would rather not have more thru-hulls.
2. Holding tanks are fine but they take up space.
3. I have had some intimate experiences with marine heads in the past and it can get a little nasty.

I went ahead and bought an Airhead composting toilet 6 months ago, thinking there was a good chance this composting thing was kind of a scam but just had to see for myself. I have used this toilet exclusively for the last two months or so and I must say it is pretty amazing.

So here's the nitty gritty. All I do is dump two one-gallon ziploc bags of peat moss into the main container, do my thing for 1-2 months and dump the bucket. That sounds gross, but I was thrilled to see that the moss turned everything into dirt - and I mean DIRT. Looked like dirt, smelled like dirt. Put it in a trash bag and take it to the dump, or in my case since I am offshore, just dump it. Simple as that. Those who use their boats for weekend use and daysailing have it even better because the longer it sits, the better job it does. A weekender could easily go for an entire season without emptying the head. For a single liveaboard cruiser, 1-2 months.

The Airhead comes with an air exhaust system that slowly vents air out of the head to the outside. Many cruisers have not installed this system and have had no issues with odor, but I did install it. The fan burns about 50-100 mA according to my amp meter.

Composting toilets separate solid from liquid waste, that's the secret. So, you also have a smaller urine container that has to be emptied more frequently (1-2 weeks more a single liveaboard). This part is little more gross, but still does not emit any odor when attached to the head. Plus half the time in my experience us guys just go over the side of the boat.

Both guys and girls have used this thing, and I have never gotten negative comments of any kind. It's dry, it doesn't smell, it's legal, and cheap to maintain.

If I come up with issues in the future, I will not hesitate to let everyone know. I'd love to hear comments.

Edited by - on

dasreboot
Admiral

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803 Posts

Response Posted - 07/29/2014 : 11:49:34

id like to reclaim the holding tank space, that might be good.